how we met
We first met on a rainy weekday night. I came to her apartment to pick her up and wooed her by bringing an umbrella to protect her hair from the rain. We got to the Tuscan Italian restaurant and knew we had something because it took us 45 minutes before we even opened the menu. The server must have come over 5 times to ask if we were ready to order.. Honest conversation would become the building block for our relationship, and it started on night one.
I think what makes our relationship unique is our honesty. We have always been open with each other and never beat around the bush. Whenever we have a thought or opinion we speak about it and there is no guessing, well except when she had no idea about the proposal. We both motivate each other financially, pushing each other to work hard and save money for our future. We also love trying new places to eat with each other and going out with friends and family.
I don’t think there is a moment or certain time where you know someone is the one. That is like saying “I love this person for one particular reason.” There were many moments and many reasons I love this woman and think she is the one. The main thing is you have to live your life like you normally do, and when you start to realize that going out of your way to make this person happy makes you happy, then they are the one. Enjoying hanging out with my current friends with her and enjoying hanging out with her Italian family is when I knew she was the one.
how they asked
I currently live in Charlotte NC, but coming from Cleveland and being a diehard Cleveland sports fan I wanted us to have a special moment in the city I love. So first I reached out to Larry Spencer, who is a photographer, and told him I wanted to propose outside the Cleveland Browns Stadium. He was as thrilled and excited about the shoot as me. I then looked up Cleveland Browns Stadium event coordinators just with a thought to ask if maybe, just maybe I would be able to get in the stadium to pop the question. I emailed them and Christina emailed me back thrilled to help. She went out of her way to convince her management to allow me to come in and propose on the field. I was so excited I literally couldn’t sleep in anticipation and the anxiety of keeping this from her. I told Nancy that we were going to Cleveland for dinner and were going to take Christmas pictures so dress up. I then told her I wanted to stop at the team shop at the stadium to pick up a hoodie since we would be in downtown. As we approached the stadium I took her to the security entrance I had arranged with Christina. Nancy was like, “this doesn’t look right.” I quickly told her, “Hey, play along. My dad told me if I come this way and ask for this lady Christina and tell her we have season tickets she’ll give us a tour…” Christina played it off perfectly. Acted like she was just leaving, but she could quickly give us a tour. She showed us the hallways and the VIP bar by the tunnel, and then we walked out of the tunnel just like the players on Sunday. It was such an epic moment, but nothing compared to what was about to come. We walked down to the end zone, and Christina was still selling the tour like a champ. Then finally I asked Christina to take a pic of us in front of our season ticket seats and as we were posing, “STOP STOP, hold on…”
I bent down, hand on my side, picked the ring out of my jacket pocket, and then looked up to a beautiful absolutely face and asked… well you know what I asked. She was absolutely surprised and was holding back her tears. Larry was snapping away and Christina ended up taking us back to the bar where she gave us a complimentary bottle of champagne. It was a perfect touch to a perfect moment.
The ring was not that hard to choose. We went about 6 months back and looked at rings together. She found one that we both fell in love with and the rest was just saving my monies for it. It does look really great on her and even now, sitting right by me while I write this, she is looking at it with the sweetest smile on her face.
